Friday, August 5, 2016

Sony to sell battery division to Murata

At CES at this display, I was told at the MPCL1 display that the device was part of the battery division. It appears that MPCL1 will not be going with Murata - and that it's spelled out in the agreement.

Although the scope of the Transfer remains to be finalized, the parties expect the Transfer to include the battery business conducted by Sony Energy Devices Corporation, Sony’s wholly-owned subsidiary in Japan; Sony’s battery-related manufacturing operations located in China and Singapore; and assets and personnel assigned to the battery business at the Sony Group’s sales and R&D sites in Japan and worldwide.

Business operations related to consumer sales of Sony-branded USB batteries, alkaline batteries, button and coin batteries, and mobile projectors,as well as certain other products, are not expected to be included in the Transfer.

Sony Corp (6758.T) said on Thursday it has agreed to sell a portion of its battery business to Murata Manufacturing Co Ltd (6981.T), as the electronics giant responds to slowing demand for smartphones.

The announcement comes as Sony banks on growth in its games business with the upcoming launch of its virtual reality headset, while it also plans to re-enter the robotics industry a decade after it last abandoned that business.

Sony, in a joint statement, said the agreement involved selling the battery business of its subsidiary Sony Energy Devices Corp, which makes lithium-ion polymer batteries used in smartphones, tablets and digital cameras, and lithium-ion rechargeable batteries.

Murata said it hoped that acquiring Sony's battery operations would give the Japanese company an edge in the communications market, and that it would help the company expand in automotive, healthcare and energy markets.